PIB Fact-Checks Congress, Debunks Reports Claiming Caste Enumeration Not Included In Census 2027

News18

17-06-2025

The clarification comes amid political criticism, particularly from the Congress, which alleged that the gazette notification issued on Monday did not mention caste enumeration.
The Central government has dismissed social media claims suggesting that caste enumeration will be excluded from Census 2027, labelling them as fake and misleading. Responding on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday evening, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) urged citizens to rely only on official sources for verified information.
'Always rely on authentic sources for accurate information," PIB posted, countering the misinformation being spread online. In another post, PIB clarified, 'The Government has already announced that the Caste enumeration will be conducted along with Census 2027. Please see the details below: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2136515."
The clarification comes amid political criticism, particularly from the Congress, which alleged that the gazette notification issued on Monday did not mention caste enumeration. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, however, had already reviewed preparations for the upcoming census on June 15 with top officials, including the Union Home Secretary and the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. The official notification to conduct the census was published the same day.
The Census 2027 will be conducted in two phases. The first phase—Houselisting Operations (HLO)—will gather data on housing conditions, assets, and amenities. The second phase—Population Enumeration (PE)—will collect detailed information on demographic, socio-economic, and cultural parameters of each individual in a household. Caste enumeration will also be a part of this exercise, making it the first caste-based census in Independent India since the British-era enumeration conducted between 1881 and 1931.
The decision to include caste data was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on April 30. The census will be conducted digitally for the first time, using mobile applications and offering a self-enumeration option to citizens. Around 34 lakh enumerators and supervisors, along with 1.3 lakh Census functionaries, will be deployed for the massive exercise.
To ensure data security, the government has assured that stringent protocols will be followed during data collection, transmission, and storage. The reference date for the Census will be October 1, 2026, for snow-bound areas like Ladakh, and March 1, 2027, for the rest of the country.
Earlier, the Ministry of Home Affairs had also fact-checked the claims questioning caste enumeration and reiterated that the upcoming census will include it. Responding to the issue, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh demanded that the Centre adopt the Telangana model not only for caste enumeration but also for detailed socio-economic data collection. However, the Centre has made it clear through its notification and official statements that caste data will indeed be part of the Census 2027.